cooookies

Mother's day is just around the corner, and this year, I wanted to do more than just an informal card attached to some flowers I've only seen online. I'm sure the quality is good once it arrives, but I'm always a little wary if they're getting what I think they're getting. I'm just a little paranoid though. Anyhow, I thought to myself "self, you could try and make cookies, and mail them! That would be a wonderful idea, because if all goes well, they'll have cookies, and if not, the base for pie crust!" (neither of my mothers really bake all that much, so lets just hope all goes well...) So, I followed this recipe for No fail sugar cookies (it says no fail...how can it possibly go wrong!?)
No Fail Sugar Cookies
6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I used orange for a floridan citrus feel)
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.

Chill for 1 to 2 hours

Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe
can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies. (mine made 4 dozen of various shapes and sizes)

So, you've got your cookies baked and cooled, now what!? Well you decorate them silly! I used this recipe for royal icing, and it turned out pretty well
Royal Icing
6 oz (3/4 cup) of warm water
5 Tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2.25 lbs (about 9 cups) powdered icing sugar

In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened...about 30 seconds.

Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.

Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.

Using the paddle attachment on the LOWEST speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.

Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency. (make sure to set aside some of the thicker so you can make your outlines. Once your outlines are dry, you can fill them in with the thinned down icing)

I find it the easiest to have a variety of gladware/tupperware/plastic bowls out so that I can mix colors and such all at one time, and then can begin the decorating process. (I'll start taking pics as I decorate to illustrate better in the future)

These are the finished productFor the teacup, I outlined in white and filled in white. Then while the fill was still wet, I drew a line across the top and bottom with the pink icing. Then, taking a clean toothpick, drew figure 8s draging the pink and white together to get that effect.

The round pink cookies, I outlined and filled in pink, let dry overnight. Then, I took a very fine color dust, used a stencil (like the type you use on a wall to paint with, but clean) and brushed the color on. Then, I followed over with the color to give further definition.

The round purple cookies, I outlined, filled and let dry overnight, just like the pink. Then, I just freehand outlined the design on there with the same shade of purple. very simple!

The heart is just purple outline, purple fill and while the fill was still wet, added swirls of pink and toothpicked it through.